A very weekend! My photo essay under pen name 蓝天游 on Osaka 大阪《漫步大阪富田林市寺内町 回到江户时代》is published in today's LianheZaobao 联合早报缤纷版 dated 17 November 2018! 感谢、感恩! Thrilled to see it being featured nationwide in print! Special thanks to Lianhe Zaobao, you have made my day! :)

This is my last series of street photography in Hong Kong using a Fisheye lens. Fisheye lenses are often considered a ‘no-no’ among professional landscape and cityscape photographers. People see them as not much more than a gimmick. I often hear complaints about fisheye lenses because of ‘that ugly distortion’. I am a one camera one lens person and have strongly benefited from this approach, as it makes me pay more attention to what's happening on the street rather than worrying about which camera or lens combination would work best for a particular type of scene.

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about fisheye lenses myself. However, after using the fisheye for a while I slowly began to love it. There are just so much possibilities with fisheye lenses. And most important of all, they are super fun to use. Just think of crazy vertigos from rooftops or images in which distorted lines actually give meaning to an image. My fisheye lens has become a tool for so many interesting shots, and it’s now one of my favourite lenses.

If you ever happen to be in the distinctly working class area of Ma Tau Kok deep in the entrails of eastern Kowloon Hong Kong, you might come across a set of western-style red brick buildings that contrast neatly with the surrounding residential apartments. This is the Cattle Depot Artist Village, a former government slaughterhouse now converted to artist studios and exhibition spaces.

​​For nearly a century the Depot was used as an animal quarantine area and abattoir centre. It was finally closed down in 1999 after concerns from neighbouring residents regarding the hygiene of a slaughterhouse in a densely populated urban area. Today the cattle quarantine has been moved north to Sheung Shui, near the Mainland border, while the old Cattle Depot renovated and designated a historical monument. The complex now houses the studios and offices of about 15 independent artists and artist groups. Creativity flows freely within the spacious structures of the village, a rarity in land-scarce Hong Kong.